India is an agrarian economy and agriculture continues to be the mainstay of the Indian Economy, whose contribution to the national gross domestic product is about 25% and provides livelihood for nearly 65% of the population. It provides employment to about 65% of the labour force, which accounts for nearly 27% of GDP, it contributes 21% of the total export and raw material to several Industries.

SFAC (Small Farmer Agribusiness Consortium) - SFAC, a Society under DAC (Dept. of Agriculture Cooperation) is the designated agency of DAC to promote (Farmers Producer Organisation) FPO in the nation. CARDS has been identified as a RI for implementation of National Demonstration Programme of Farmers Producer Organisation (FPO) and value chain development of pulses and millets (2014-16) in Chhuhikhadan and Khairagarh blocks of Rajnandgaon district and Sahaspur Lohara block of Kabirdham district. It has initiated the process of mobilising and forming 4 Farmers Producer Organisation (FPO) with 4000 farmers as the beneficiary.

Further in the continuation of achieving the objectives of SFAC, CARDS is putting its valuable efforts on below objectives of small farmer agribusiness consortium

• To catalyze agro-industrial growth in the country based on the principles of:
  • Ecological sustainability
  • Economic efficiency
  • Social equity
• To undertake or assist in undertaking programs for employment generation, growth and diversification of agriculture & agro-based industries to increase food production and export of agriculture products, in both primary and processed forms.
• To identify and promote post-harvest processing/manufactures units in the public, private and cooperative sector.
• To promote organization of marketing chain both for domestic and export marketing.
• To influence Government policies for agriculture, thereby increasing the flow of resources and augmenting the rate of capital formation in agriculture sector.
• To pave the way for establishment of integrated producers’ organizations with forward and backward linkages.